Five into one: Decoding GB1's female America's Cup crew roster

GB1 have confirmed Jemima Lines as the newest addition to Britain's America's Cup squad. With five women now contracted, the pieces are falling into place, but who goes where?

It was always going to happen like this. Back on 26 June, Lines' name quietly appeared on the official America’s Cup crew registry, and we flagged it on episode 27 of the podcast before it was publicly announced.

Now, six weeks later, GB1 have made it official - and in doing so, they've inadvertently revealed quite a lot about how they see their female programme taking shape.

Lines is a fascinating signing. A kitefoiler who was ranked inside the top 15 in the world in 2023, she caddied for Ellie Aldridge at the Paris 2024 Olympics, watching her team-mate take gold from the best possible vantage point.

The kitefoiler also has a mechanical engineering degree, mirroring the dual role already carved out by Bleddyn Mon on the team. GB1 have signed someone who can make the boat faster both on the water and off and completes a female roster of five - and that number is no coincidence.

GB1's contracted female sailors are now Hannah Mills, Ellie Aldridge, Anna Burnett, Hattie Rogers and Jemima Lines. Five sailors, one mandatory spot on the AC75 and four spots on a Women's America's Cup team.

Lines is expected to race on board the AC75 in the fifth spot alongside the listed GB1 race crew of Dylan Fletcher, Ben Cornish, Andrea Tesei, and Bleddyn Mon.

The AC75 carries five crew under the new format: two helms, two trimmer-pilots and a strategist. One of those five must be female - the first time in the 175-year history of the America's Cup that this has been mandated. 

Lines, with her elite foiling background and engineering integration into the race programme, fits the brief - especially considering the direction teams seem to be taking the new fifth role.

Gone is the Athena Pathway name that flew the flag for the women’s team in Barcelona. The Women's team now races as GB2, sitting explicitly alongside GB1 in the Athena Sports Group family.

Hannah Mills is the anchor of that team. The double Olympic gold medallist that led Athena Pathway to the Women’s America’s Cup final in Barcelona, now returns for the second edition in 2027 as both Team Principal and Helm of the British entry GB2.

That leaves three spots available alongside Mills. Aldridge feels like a certainty for the other helm spot. Her kite background, the same discipline that Lines comes from, transfers better than almost anything else to the kind of raw, high-speed foil racing that defines this era of America’s Cup racing.

Anna Burnett and Hattie Rogers round out the five-strong roster and, on current evidence, would seem the most likely candidates for the remaining two trimmer roles, especially with them both falling outside the youth age requirements.

This is the least certain piece of the puzzle, GB1 are yet to formally confirm a Youth America’s Cup crew.

Trimmers Matt Beck and Sam Webb, who competed for the mixed women and youth team in Cagliari, will yet again be available for the Youth America’s Cup - but the depth of talent in the Athena Pathway means nobody is nailed on for a role.

Finn Dickinson, Kai Hockley, Katy Jenkins and Kuba Staite, all part of the Athena Pathway ‘camp’ being run at Cowes Week, are all assumed to be in the running for those Youth America’s Cup spots.

Katy Jenkins featured on episode 32 of our podcast, recorded live from Cowes week, and gave a great insight into the selection process.

What GB1 have built is a female programme with depth - five sailors who all have a clear route to America’s Cup racing with complementary skills and backgrounds.

The inclusion of Jemima Lines among the GB1 race crew is a sure sign of the direction the fifth role is moving in. An engineering brain that can lead the complex system management of these race craft while confidently being able to pick the next shift.

The announcement also solidifies Hannah’s commitment to the Women’s America’s Cup programme, and the change of title to GB2 indicates the commitment from an organisational level too.

The 38th America's Cup will be the first in the event's 175-year history where a woman races on every AC75. GB1 will be expected to make history on that with Jemima Lines come Naples in 2027.